Metallic ladder.



No. 826.863. y y Y YATBNTBD JULY 24. 190s.

A B.y v. mman.

METALLIC LADDER.

arrmcnxon rum) Dama. 190s.

NITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE V. LYNUR'OE NEW YORK, N. Y.

mETALLlC' LADDER.

No. ceases.

Patented July 24, 1908.

Application Bled December S2, 18GB. Serial No. 298.030.

. a type intended more particularly 'for application asn {ire-escape andAin such use would be attached to the Wall of the building in front ofor adjacent to a verticai row of windows or other openin sthereof and inconnection with suitable lan ings, such as ordinarily employed withfire-escapes now in use, will afford a ready means |oi escape from thebuilding.

It is Well known that the fire-escapes now usually employed areunsightly and greatly detract from the artistic appearance of thebuilding especially,as is fre uentl the case,

when the fire-escape is place on t ie front of the building. y

it is the general object of my invention to provide a ladder for use asa fire-escape which y reason of its small transverse area will scarcelbe noticed when applied to the build ing an the size and character ofwhich wiii permit me to empio landings much smaller than those now usualy employed.

The ladder may even be made to add to the architectural beauty of thebudding, as owing to its eculiar shape or sinuons outline it readilyends itself to combination in various architectural schemes. Theartistic appearance ma be further increased by constructing the laddenofbrass or plating the same with nichel or other metal or suitablypainting the same. y

Owing toits ineonspicuousness when applied to a budding, my improvedladder may e used as an auxiliary fire-escape, if desiredthat is to say,the fire-escape now used may be employed and my improvement be locatedat various oi nts about the building, and thus afford additional meansof escape therefrom in the event of a fire.

In the accompanying drawings l have illustrated an embodiment of theinvention; but it is contemplated as within the scope of my invention tovary the outline or configuration of the ladder from the form shown.

Referring new to thedrawings, Fi'ure 1 is a view in front elevation of aladder constructed according to my invention and connected to a suitablestructure,A shown conventionally. Fig, 2 is a View in side elevationcurved outwardly,

of the same, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing one of thesections ofthe ladder.

As shown by the drawin s, the ladder as a whole is made up of severasections 1, which are connected together by being screwed one into theother, as indicated at 2. The sections 1 when so joined together providetheiadder, which comprises a series o steps being for the right foot andthe steps 4 for the left foot. Between each of the steps 3 and 4 isprovided a handheld 5, said handholds being in vertical alinement, orsubstantially so, throughout the length of the ladder. The metal at oneend of each handheld is first as indicated at 6, and

then horizontall inward an equal-distance beyond the me ian line of thehandheld toconnect to the reversely'curved portion 7, extending fromVthe bottom of the adjacent handheld, so that the art of the ladderbetween the two handho ds has the shape substantiaiy of the letter S. Asthe curved portion 6 and the curved portion 7 aiternately extendthroughout the ladder in diametrically opposite directions, the resultwill be that the opening or recess 8, formed by the curved member 7,will alternately o en on diametrically-op osite sides of the la der, soas to provide rig t and left ootholds. The

Vhorizontal portions connecting the curved members and 7 form, ofcourse, the steps 3 and 4,

In Fig. 3 Ihave shown a section as compris- Yin at op osito ends thehaines of two handho ds Wit two steps and an interposed handhold betweenthem. It will be apparent, however, that each section maycom rise two,three, or more'handholds, as may be ound desirable in the manufacture ofthe same.

The ladder may be composed of tubular metal, or the sections may be ofsolid material. By preference the handhelds 5 are gradeeiiy enlargedform their ends to the center in order to facilitate the grip of thehand'thereon, as will be understood.

The ladder as a'whole is connected to the house by means of mainsupports 9 and auxiliary sup erts 10, secured in or to the wall of thebui dingV and connected to the ladder at various points, preferablybeneath the handholds 5. The outer ends of the sections at the oppositeends of the ladder are bent inward at right angles and then curved uponthemseives to form heart-shaped braces 11,which bear against the walland serve 'to securely support and brace the ladder by means of steps 3and 4, the

IIO

cured to thc under sideof the eaves of the house or to any othersuitable proj ectin g part.

I' desired, l may cover the steps 3 and 4 and the handhelds 5 withrubber, leather', or other material.

lt will be a )parent to tlicse skilled in the art that iny ladder willbe useful in man other connections than as a iire-escsipcor instance, itmay be enjiploycd on signal-towers, telegraph-poles freiqht cars, battleships, chimneys, and the li c.

Iclaim-m 1. A metallic ladder' comprising a single se ries of connectedverticall r-disposcd and alin ing handholds, the metall between eachtwoadJacent handholds being d isposed outwardly on o posite sides of thelongitudinal axis and in a ternatcly reverse directions throughout thelength of the ladder to afford right and left foothclds.

2. A metallic ladder comprising a sin le series of connected verticall-disposed an alining handhelds, the meta between adjacent handholdsbeing bent outwardly in opposite directions to produce horizontalfootholds l which project beyond op )osite sides of the vertica plane ofsaid hand iolds.

3. A metallic ladder formed as a continu ous structure and comprising aunitary bar of metal. bent outwardly upon itself in two oppositedirections at different points and at ceases suitable intervals throuhout its length to provide horizontal mem ers, rentrant or tions whichare oppositely-disposed in a ternation, and an intermediate straiirhtportion.

4. A metallic ladder comprising a single series of connectedvertically-disposed alining handhelds, thc metal between adjacenthandholds being disposed outwardly on o posite sides o the longitudinalaxis to provi o footholds.

5. A metallic ladder comprising a continuous len rth. of materialpresenting a series of handho ds in vertical alinelnent and between theends of adjacent handhelds being zig- Zagged to provide a foothold, thecenter of each of which is substantially in line with the longitudinalaxes of the handholds.

6. A metallic ladder comprisin a continuous structure presenting aseries o handhelds in vertical alineinent and between the ends ofadjacent handhelds `heilig zigzagged to provide a foothold, the centerof each of whiohis in line with the lon itudinal axes of the handholds,said footho ds alternating from right to left throughout the len thofthe ladder.

In testimony whereof have hereunto set niy hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- EUGENE V. LYNCH.

y nesses.

Vliitnesses: y

A R'rHUa J. HARVEY, JAMES. F. SCANLN.

